Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has publicly accused his elder brother, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, of cocaine and alcohol abuse amid an apparent family and political disagreement.
Bashir made the allegations in a series of posts on X on Saturday, launching personal attacks against Bello, a member of the House of Representatives representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency.
The exact cause of the disagreement between the two brothers was not immediately clear. However, Bashir’s comments suggested that their differences may be linked to Bello’s political activities and his relationship with Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani.
In one of his posts, Bashir accused his brother of regularly using cocaine and alcohol.
“I have a useless excuse for a brother, with his bony-ass face coated with an unknown white substance around his nostrils every night,” Bashir wrote.
“That is your member in the House, representing a whole populace, but prefers alcohol and cocaine. Yes, you.”
The allegation generated reactions from users on the social media platform, with some urging Bashir to settle the disagreement privately rather than taking it to social media.
One user, identified as @cryptogeekng, advised Bashir to resolve the matter outside the public space.
“If you are referring to your blood brother, you must be the one on colos. Settle out of court and social media,” the user wrote.
Bashir rejected the advice and insisted that his comments were directed at his brother.
“He’s the one on colos, actually, and a diet of cocaine and whiskey,” he replied.
The allegations made by Bashir have not been independently verified, and Bello El-Rufai had not publicly responded to the accusations as of the time of filing this report.
Bashir’s criticism also focused on what he described as Bello’s political relationship with Governor Uba Sani and his eventual defection from the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
Bello El-Rufai was elected to the House of Representatives in 2023 on the platform of the APC and remained in the ruling party after his father, Nasir El-Rufai, resigned from the party in March 2025 following a political disagreement.
Nasir El-Rufai later became associated with the ADC, which has emerged as one of the opposition platforms ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Bello did not immediately follow his father out of the APC. However, his defection to the ADC was announced on the floor of the House of Representatives on May 7, 2026, by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
The lawmaker subsequently confirmed his intention to seek re-election to represent Kaduna North Federal Constituency on the platform of the ADC.
Reacting to his brother’s political history, Bashir accused Bello of remaining close to Governor Uba Sani until he allegedly realised that his political interests were no longer being served.
“Stuck with Uba Sani until he realized he is being dumped then suddenly remembered family loyalty and moved to ADC. Where was he since? Purely serving his interest,” Bashir wrote.
He also accused Bello of previously asking him to reduce his criticism of Governor Uba Sani when the lawmaker was politically aligned with the Kaduna State governor.
“At this stage in my life, I hate nonsense,” Bashir wrote in another post while criticising what he described as hypocrisy.
Some of the posts reportedly contained additional personal allegations against Bello, although some were later deleted.
The public disagreement comes amid continuing political tensions involving the El-Rufai family and Governor Uba Sani.
Nasir El-Rufai, who served as Kaduna State governor between 2015 and 2023, was once politically close to Sani, who served as a senator before succeeding him as governor in 2023.
However, their political relationship later deteriorated, with both camps publicly trading accusations over issues relating to the former administration and the current Kaduna State government.
Meanwhile, the claims of cocaine and alcohol abuse made by Bashir against his brother remain allegations and have not been independently established.
Neither Mohammed Bello El-Rufai nor his representatives had publicly responded to Bashir’s latest accusations as of the time of filing this report.
